Winter Fun

FARMINGTON HILLS — With winter well underway, hibernation is standard: Lock yourself indoors and get under the covers with a cup of hot cocoa. Fortunately for you, the Nature Center in Heritage Park has other ideas.

“We just have a lot (of activities),” Farmington Hills Nature Center Supervisor Ashlie Smith said recently. “I always want to make sure people know just because it is wintertime in the park, there is a lot to do and experience the outdoors — even in the cold wintry months.”

ROCHESTER — Downtown Rochester will once again transform into a winter wonderland next weekend, encouraging families to brave the elements to enjoy some fun winter activities.

The ninth annual Fire and Ice Festival runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Jan. 22, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 23, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 24. The event offers everything from dog sledding demonstrations and rides to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on Saturday and Sunday, to an ice skating rink, a snow play area and much more, all at East Water and Third streets in downtown Rochester.

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP — Winter is here, whether we like it or not. So why not enjoy some spectacular scenery in the township’s parks, along with some fun activities for the whole family.

“We have a lot of cool things going on,” said Mindy Milos-Dale, Oakland Township parks and recreation director. Along with ice skating and sledding, township parks offer guided bird walks, blow-up planetarium events, a session with a coyote naturalist and training for those who would like to participate in prescribed burns.

WEST BLOOMFIELD — Now that it’s officially winter, a new program from the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Department will celebrate the season.

The department is introducing Winter Weekends, which is three different events over separate weekends in January and February.

“We were just looking for ways to get people outdoors,” Parks and Rec Marketing Coordinator Meagan Kurnat said. “Get people outdoors in the wintertime and kind of experience the season and get some people to enjoy our parks.

ROCHESTER — The Clinton River Watershed Council is looking for volunteers who aren’t afraid to make a splash in local waterways to help search for stonefly larvae next month.

The winter stonefly nymph — one of the most sensitive of all aquatic macroinvertebrates that lives in local rivers and streams — is most active in January, when the water temperature is very cold and there is still plenty of leafy debris on the river bottom for stoneflies to forage on.

OAKLAND COUNTY — When the flakes fall in Oakland County, you can count on a few things: Some schools will close, roads will get a bit slippery, and the roar of snowblowers will fill the air.

But you can also count on throngs of nature lovers heading to the county’s parks for a little cold-weather fun, according to Independence Oaks Park Supervisor DJ Coffey. Despite the warmer-than-normal temperatures we’ve enjoyed so far, Coffey and his staff are gearing up for one of Oakland County Parks’ most popular seasons.